A National Renewable Electricity Standard Will Boost the Economy and Protect the Environment

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) analysis indicates that a national 25 percent by 2025 renewable electricity standard would create 297,000 jobs, generate $263.4 billion in new capital investment, and lower consumer energy bills by $64.3 billion by 2025. The policy would diversify the U.S. energy mix by increasing renewable capacity from 28,000 MW in 2007 to 248,000 MW by 2025, primarily through wind, solar, bioenergy, and geothermal sources. Environmentally, the standard would reduce power plant CO2 emissions by 277 million metric tons annually by 2025, equivalent to removing 45.3 million cars from the road.

• A national 25 percent by 2025 renewable electricity standard would create 297,000 U.S. jobs across various sectors, including manufacturing, construction, and agriculture. This represents a net benefit of 202,000 new jobs in 2025 because renewable energy development creates more than three times as many jobs as an equivalent amount of electricity from fossil fuels.
• The proposed standard would drive significant economic growth, including $263.4 billion in new capital investment for renewable technologies, $13.5 billion in income for rural landowners, farmers, and ranchers, and $11.5 billion in new local property tax revenue.
• Consumers would see lower and more stable energy costs, with cumulative electricity and natural gas bill savings reaching $64.3 billion by 2025 and $95.5 billion by 2030. The typical household is projected to save more than $67 in annual costs by 2025.
• The standard would substantially diversify the U.S. electricity mix, increasing homegrown renewable power generating capacity from approximately 28,000 MW in 2007 to 248,000 MW by 2025. This growth would be led by wind, solar, bioenergy, and geothermal sources.
• The policy would reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, cumulatively displacing 547 million short tons of coal and 12.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas by 2025, including 0.9 trillion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.
• Environmental benefits include a reduction of power plant CO2 emissions by 277 million metric tons annually by 2025, which is 10.6 percent below business as usual and equivalent to taking 45.3 million cars off the road.
• Beyond carbon, the standard would reduce other pollutants like mercury and sulfur dioxide and eliminate the need to deposit 511 million gallons of coal waste in toxic slurry ponds.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2009). A National Renewable Electricity Standard Will Boost the Economy and Protect the Environment. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Clean-Power-Green-Jobs-25-RES.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. A National Renewable Electricity Standard Will Boost the Economy and Protect the Environment. 2009. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Clean-Power-Green-Jobs-25-RES.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=A National Renewable Electricity Standard Will Boost the Economy and Protect the Environment |date=March 2009 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Clean-Power-Green-Jobs-25-RES.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2009national, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{A National Renewable Electricity Standard Will Boost the Economy and Protect the Environment}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Clean-Power-Green-Jobs-25-RES.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }